Last October, I was working at an event where the main entertainment went up in flames minutes before it was scheduled to venture out into the crowd. I’m talking full-on, “turn the sprinkler system off quick before the exhibitor booths, activity stations and high-end sponsors get soaked” flames.

The entertainment was a 9-foot robot and the event was an international conference.

After we extinguished the flames and lugged the large piece of metal outside through the dock doors (and pulled out all the industrial-sized fans we could find), I apologized to our client and assured her she would not be charged, thanked the venue profusely for not kicking me out, canceled our payment to the vendor and prepared for the onslaught of incoming conference attendees who would be none the wiser, all with an external smile.

Most garden-variety force majeure clauses specify that both parties to a contract can cancel without invoking damages if unanticipated occurrences outside the control of either party make it illegal or impossible to go forward with the event. But that’s not enough in today’s environment, says attorney Joshua Grimes, president of Grimes Law Offices LLC. With today’s 24/7 news cycle and a growing national obsession with the Weather Channel, more attendees are getting spooked by potential events—anything from a hurricane bearing down on Houston to a service workers strike that threatens to shut down an airport—and deciding to skip the meeting several days ahead of time.

Putting it in simple terms, designing and delivering a successful event basically consists of numerous involved parties and a large amount of details to finalise before launch. Due to the large number of factors affecting the program flow and overall attendee experience throughout the event phases, it should be expected that things could possibly go awry from time to time. As there are multiple teams to manage and several stakeholders’ needs and expectations to consider, event professionals are often on edge and need to be resourceful for overcoming any potential obstacles they come across.

Risk management, security procedures and emergency planning are all top-of-mind with today’s meetings industry professionals. Just like events – pre-conference meetings (aka pre-cons) come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve been at pre-cons with three people and with 20 people. I’ve been at pre-cons with a formal agenda and with no agenda. I’ve been at pre-cons with my client present and on my own.

The event dates are set, the venue has been selected, and the contracts are in place. Let the planning process begin! As an event organizer, you have an enormous amount of logistics to coordinate and massage into place as the event rapidly approaches. Everything from the event schedule, to registration, speakers and sponsors, food and beverage, you are responsible for it all! The list goes on and on as you work to strategically organize each category down to the finest details.

When I heard early reports of what happened in Manchester at the Ariana Grande concert, I experienced the same feeling of receiving the news someone dear to me had died.

Out of respect we have waited to publish this article and to reflect on where we go from here. It is very easy to jump on some news and make a patronizing article. It’s very easy to say, we told you! It’s very easy to say, you should have thought about it!

If there’s one thing that’ll set a meeting professional’s teeth on edge, it’s a costly surprise—especially when it’s one that could have been addressed in the contract up front, and even more especially when it comes to costly attrition. While there are any number of ways to approach attrition in negotiations, here are some strategies that attorney, speaker, and College of Coastal Georgia professor Tyra Hilliard, Esq., PhD, CMP, outlined in a recent MeetingsNet Master Class webinar that can help you negotiate an attrition clause that’s fair to both parties.

Caution: Always have the person who contacts you on behalf of a company check to see if the organization uses a third-party procurement company or agency. I have posted before about third-party procurement models coming to North America. They have been popular in Europe for some time. I have just had the most horrendous experience so I am sharing it so you can avoid similar drama.

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” This quote comes from Mike Tyson who probably meant it literally, but it applies just as well to situations outside the boxing ring where your plan can be derailed by any number of surprises, leaving you struggling to come up with a new one. You may think you have the perfect event response plan in place for your meetings, but until you test it you won’t find the holes.

Everyone is a watchdog or whistleblower these days thanks to pervasive social media and deep searches on the internet. Companies can no longer hide their worst traits and habits—and this is a good thing. The more ethical big businesses are, the better off the world will be. At least that’s the theory. Whether it’s true or not is for time to judge.

At the Duty Free Show of the Americas, which takes place in Florida each spring, attendees come face-to-face with almost every conceivable item that might be sold in an airport duty-free store — from necklaces and perfume to cigars, luggage, and, of course, booze. “They serve a lot of alcohol, and they’d like people to sample this, that, or the other thing,” said Mark Gatley, regional general man-ager for SMG at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, which hosted the show for a few years before it moved to the Orlando World Center Marriott.

Event planners on the hunt for a new software provider may find that there are more options to choose from these days than in previous years. That’s because our industry is growing and fast, with research showing that the global event management software market will increase 8.24% by 2020.

Disasters can take many forms—from earthquakes and floods that damage infrastructure and halt business, to war, terrorism, cyber attacks, and pandemics, to technological failures such as power outages. The one thing they all have in common is the potential to cause trouble for, and perhaps even shut down, your meetings.

Crises happen to the best of us – that’s life. In the events industry, there are many small details that go into the perfect event, so it should come as no surprise that things could possibly go awry here and there. Despite the fear of something going wrong, the best way to address a crisis is to prepare for it in advance. In some cases, that means avoiding the issue entirely while, in other cases, it means having a crisis response plan ready should something happen.

“In 2015, there were 38% more security incidents detected than in 2014” as reported by PwC, The Global State of Information Security. And that number may continue to grow unless privacy and security becomes a bigger priority for the events industry.

With minutes until the curtain draw, you peer into the sold out stadium as the crowd roars in anticipation. This is the moment you’ve been dreaming of. You see, ten months prior, this moment was all but a dream. You knew you were ready to take your events to the next level but wasn’t sure how. Although you have access to the top presenters within your company, you knew it was time to book an outside speaker.

It’s inevitable. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve probably had to deal with an event you were forced to cancel. So, whether it’s hurricanes, insane traffic, or an alien invasion – here are 3 crucial steps to take to recover from an event cancellation.

Crisis planning and management: that little phrase that no one wants to think about, but we all need to plan for. According to Boston University, every one dollar invested in disaster preparedness can prevent seven dollars' worth of disaster-related economic losses! In the midst of a natural disaster, or any other force majeure, a lot can go awry. Planning for the worst and implementing your crisis plan is the best way to ensure your bases are covered.

For seasoned planners, project managers and organisers, the inevitable ‘to do’ list when organising an event or meeting destination for clients across the globe is often steered by managing budgets and operational logistics.

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